Kerala HC dismisses govt plea questioning KTU acting V-C’s appointment by guv
After the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of V-C M S Rajashree on October 22 for flouting the University Grants Commission guidelines the governor had sought names from the state.
In a setback to the Kerala government, the state high court on Tuesday dismissed its petition questioning the appointment of acting vice-chancellor Ciza Thomas in APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (KTU) by governor Arif Mohammad Khan last month.

After the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of V-C M S Rajashree on October 22 for flouting the University Grants Commission guidelines the governor had sought names from the state. Initially, it recommended the name of the Digital University V-C Saji Gopinath but the governor refused as he was among 11 V-Cs show-caused by him after the apex court verdict.
Later, the state suggested the name of the principal secretary in higher education department, Ishita Roy, a senior IAS officer, but the governor refused the same and appointed joint director in the technical education department Ciza Thomas as the acting V-C that irked the government and it moved the court.
The single bench of justice Devan Ramachandran after hearing both sides allowed Ciza Thomas to continue as the acting V-C till a new V-C was appointed. The court said there was no doubt that Thomas was qualified as per the UGC norms and it did not find any wrong with the action taken by the chancellor. “Since the chancellor has been able to obtain a qualified person as the VC- without any favouritism there is no requirement on the part of the state government to challenge the same,” the court observed.
“Those nominated by the government to fill the slot were not qualified as per the UGC norms. Hence his decision to not consider these recommendations cannot be termed wrong,” the court held. The court also expressed concern over litigations between constitutional functionaries that affected students and the ongoing protest against the acting V-C by a section of employees and students on KTU campus in the state capital.
“Litigants, as a rule would always believe that their position is right and that is why they are goaded to higher levels in pursuit of validation of their contentions. However, when it comes to constitutional functionaries, the purpose of litigation is not to obtain a win, but to ensure that the law is complied with and that constitutional imperatives are supported and achieved,” the court reminded both (the state and the governor). It also directed both to appoint a permanent V-C in three months.
The latest verdict is a boost to the governor who is locked in fierce fight with the government on a number of issues, including alleged nepotism in varsities. Reacting to the verdict, state higher education minister R Bindu said she will comment after studying the verdict. Opposition Congress and BJP hailed the verdict. “It is another slap on the face of the government,” said BJP state president K Surendran. “The ongoing fight between both should not affect future of students,” said opposition leader V D Satheesan, welcoming the verdict.
The uneasy relations between the government and governor aggravated last month after the Supreme Court quashed the appointment M S Rajashree, saying that the search committee to select the V-C was not constituted in accordance with the rules and that it failed to recommend three names for the post as per the UGC norms. In case of Rajashree, the committee had only recommended a single name making her appointment “illegal” and void ab initio (having no legal effect), the court observed.
Soon after the verdict, Khan asked the 11 V-Cs to resign saying they were also appointed by a single panel or recommended by the search committee with a non-academician as member of the panel. Later, the V-Cs approached the high court which later restrained the governor from taking any action till the disposal of their petition.
The government had received several jolts in last two months — after quashing the KTU V-C’s appointment on October 22 by the Supreme Court, the HC had cancelled the appointment of V-C of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Kufos) K Riji John on November 14 for violating the UGC norms.
On November 17, the HC had cancelled the appointment of Priya Varghese — wife of K K Ragesh, who is chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s secretary — as associate professor in Kannur University on the ground that she was not qualified enough to hold the post.
Recent setbacks have also given much credence to the governor’s repeated accusation that “unqualified and under- qualified party cadres and sympathisers were given plum posts, ignoring qualified ones and affecting the standard of higher education sector in the state.”